Introductions
If you’ve noticed that your trees don’t look as lush and lively as they usually do, their wilted appearance may indicate that they’re suffering from a disease or insect infestation. But it can be difficult to determine what your tree is suffering from. Knowing the signs of a sick tree can help you get professional help and save your trees before it is too late. In this article, we will share the common signs of sick trees and possible remedies for them.
Here’s what to look for:
1. Cracks or Brittle and Brown Barks
When a tree is closer to death, it will commonly show a missing bark or vertical cracks. The bark may also begin to loosen or fall off the tree entirely. One way of verifying the soundness of your trees is to look for deep splits in the bark.
You must observe the bark that particularly extends to the external or internal cavities of the tree. Bark that leads into the tree’s wood can also be a worrying sign. Tree cracks often worsen the damage, especially when the tree suffers damage through storms and other climatic events.
2. Dead Wood
It is good to keep up with a timely pruning schedule, especially when the dormant season is in progress. It preserves your tree’s health, life, and strength, but despite that, you may find a couple of dead branches. If you notice some dead wood in your tree, it doesn’t necessarily mean the tree is dying.
However, when the deadwood expands, it is more likely that your tree is extremely sick and perhaps closer to death. This situation may be quite alarming and a cause for concern as dead trees and branches can fall at any time.
3. Scarcer Healthy Leaves
If you have deciduous trees on your property, look out for branches that have fewer vibrant and green leaves. More brittle and brown leaves than lush green leaves on certain branches is an indicator of the tree’s health. At the same time, remember the ideal growing seasons of these trees. If you notice dead leaves clinging to these through winters instead of falling, the situation could be something else.
With coniferous trees, you will see yellow, brown, and red leaves or needles when they are dying or sick.
4. Root Damage
This is the trickiest problem to detect. Most other signs of sick trees are easy to identify and address, given that they out in the open. However, root damage is quite challenging and most often unrecognizable for homeowners who don’t know what to look for.
Construction and excavation projects can cause damage to tree roots, which may become more apparent with time after completing the project. You may also notice partial root exposure or shallowness at the roots or base of the trees.
Poor soil compaction can pose a threat to a tree’s roots. If you notice thinning foliage and undersized yellow leaves during the growing season, these are signs of root damage. Other signs include poor annual growth, wilted brown leaves, or dead branches.
5. Fungus and Critters
A host of pests look for trees that are dying or are weakened from sicknesses to make their residence. An infestation of carpenter ants or park beetles are a major sign of a weakened internal state.
In case a tree has developed a bacterial or fungal infection, you must look for cankers or mushrooms. Cankers are spots of dead tissue on the barks, which have no color. On the other hand, mushrooms tend to grow at the weakened tree’s base. Sometimes mushrooms can also grow on the tree itself, and this too is a sign of sickness.
All these signs indicate rotting in the trunk or the roots. With time, the decay will spread all over the tree, causing structural problems.
6. Scratch Test Failure
The cambium layer, inside the dry outer layer, can tell you a lot about a tree’s health. You will find this layer quite green and pulsing with life if the tree is healthy. But if you find the inside layer dry and brown, then the tree is already dead or perhaps close to dying.
A simple test can help you discover this, a test we refer to as the scratch test. With the help of a pocket knife, you can remove a tiny strip of the exterior bark. This will reveal the cambium layer that you can further inspect. Repeat this in several areas of the tree to verify if only a few branches are dead or the entire tree is.
7. Gradual or Sudden Leaning
The easiest way to spot structural problems with your trees is to observe their growth patterns. Generally, we do not see trees leaning beyond 15 degrees in either direction. If a tree leans beyond this angle, it could be a sign of root or wind damage.
Possible Remedies
1. Refrain from Chemical Pesticides and Nitrogen Fertilizers
You’re killing the good insects, helpful microbes, and beneficial nematodes if you’re using pesticides full of toxic chemicals on trees. They are hardly effective at controlling pests but instead do a lot more damage.
Nitrogen fertilizers are harsh, unbalanced, and contain high amounts of salt. Far from benefitting the trees, they instead destroy and contaminate the soil’s life, structure, and chemistry. It is best to eliminate these fertilizers from your tree-care regiment.
2. Hand Trimming Exposed Roots
Tree experts highly recommend hand pruning instead of using lawnmowers, digging, and trenching. The reason is that mowing, digging, and trenching the shrubs and leaves can severely harm your tree’s roots.
When you prune gently with your hands, the roots find encouragement and support for new growth. In addition to boosting growth, you also preserve and maximize the tree’s health by eliminating the threat-posing roots.
3. Removing Excess Soil
People commonly make the mistake of planting trees too low, which is why you will find a large number of trees deep in their containers. Often people also add eroded soil or fill soil on top of the flares and roots.
They don’t realize that by covering the root flare, they are reducing the oxygen available to the trees, leading to girdling and circling roots. Mulching too heavily or adding excess soil on the trunks and flares traps the moisture in the bark, resulting in root problems.
It is best to use an air knife or air spade to eliminate the excess soil from the root flares or get a professional to do it.
4. Watering Trees in Droughts
There can be times when you do not receive much rain where you live in a particular year. Droughts are pretty common during summers, and one way to keep your trees from sicknesses is to water them regularly.
Depending on their age and species, your trees may have different water requirements. Catering to them accordingly will prevent permanent damage.
5. Proper Pruning
Proper pruning can go a long way in preserving the health of your trees. By pruning correctly, you encourage new growth and prevent decay. Appropriate pruning also preserves your trees’ structural soundness. Therefore, you must ensure that you remove dead branches as well.
6. Root Zone Aeration
You may be unintentionally destroying your feeder roots if you are ripping, plowing, or tilling the soil. Instead, it would be best if you tried to punch holes using agricultural devices, core aerators, or tuning forks. These methods will help you aerate the root zone thoroughly and not cause any damage.
7. Call a Professional Tree Service
When treatment is beyond your capacity, it is best to call in the tree experts in time. The professionals will know exactly what diseases your tree is suffering from and the ideal treatment for it. They would also know whether a tree is beyond cure and will then take it down.
Final thoughts
Trees are sensitive to diseases and can develop structural problems, too. You can watch for sure signs of sick trees or seek help from Elite Tree Care. We specialize in all tree services and will ensure your trees receive the best treatment. With proper treatment and watchfulness, your trees can enjoy optimal health for a long time.